Sunday, December 28, 2008

FBI Notes 'Uptick' in Employment Scams

Rising unemployment is turning more job seekers into victims of Internet scams.

The FBI is tracking an increase in Web-related schemes that promise large paychecks for a few hours of work per week from home. In some cases, the victims are unwittingly laundering ill-gotten money for unnamed "overseas investors."

"We are aware of what we would call a slight uptick in reports of fraud involving work-at-home scams," said Brian Hale, FBI spokesman.

The FBI's figures do not yet document the increase in the scams because they occurred only "in recent months" as unemployment rates continue rising, he said.